JP7443323B2 - Spreader - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a spreader that can spread materials such as top dressing and fertilizer between the turf of lawns at golf courses, parks, and the like.

BACKGROUND ART In lawn areas such as golf courses and parks, top dressing, fertilizer, etc. are spread between the turf grains in order to grow the grass. For this work, it is common to use a spreader that spreads top dressing, fertilizer, etc. stored in a hopper while traveling on a trolley (see Patent Document 1). After the spraying is completed, work vehicles use mats (see Patent Document 2) and brushes (see Patent Document 3) to raise the grain of the lawn and rub top dressing into the depths of the grass. There is.

A conventional spreader of this type will be explained using FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of a conventional spreader, and FIG. 2 is an overall side view thereof. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the side surface of the rear wheel of the spreader shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and schematically shows how the spreader spreads while moving on its own. Reference numeral 1 denotes a traveling trolley that is self-propelled by an engine 2, has front wheels 1a and rear wheels 1b, and is driven by a speed reducer 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes a hopper into which materials to be spread such as top dressing and fertilizer are placed, and is provided above the rear wheel 1b of the traveling trolley 1. The lower part of this hopper 4 is open, and a conveyor 5 is disposed below the open part. In this conveyor 5, a belt 5c is driven backward by conveyor rollers 5a and 5b located in front and behind the hopper 4, respectively. Reference numeral 6 denotes a shutter provided in the hopper 4, which adjusts the amount of the spread material sent out. 6a is an adjustment handle of the shutter 6, and the amount of feed is adjusted. Reference numeral 7 denotes a roll-shaped rotating brush serving as a dispersion mechanism for dispersing the material to be spread from the conveyor 5. As shown in FIG. , the dispersion area 10a is formed to extend rearward.

In this spreader, while running with an engine 2, a conveyor belt 5c and a roll-shaped brush 7 are driven by operating a conveyor actuating lever 8, and the spread material is sent to the rear of a truck by the conveyor belt 5c, and is transferred to a rotating roll. It is sprayed onto the lawn by a shaped brush 7.

Conventional spreaders of this type always have wheels for self-propulsion, and when spraying, the front wheels 1a and rear wheels 1b press down on the lawn with the weight of the spreader, as shown in Fig. 4. As a result, the spraying material 10 had to be spread on the pressed lawn 9a, and it was difficult to put the spraying material 10 between the turf grains of the lawn.

Furthermore, when using a conventional spreader of this kind to spread the material to a location that is not affected by the front wheels 1a and rear wheels 1b, the material 10 will be spread on the lawn 9 in its natural state. However, as shown in FIG. 5, since the lawn in its natural state is often densely packed, it has been difficult to put the spray material 10 between the turf grains of the lawn.

Therefore, when spreading material with a conventional spreader of this type, after the spreader has finished spreading, the material must be rubbed into the grass using a separate brush or mat several times until it is fully in the grass. The current situation was that this was the case.

In addition, a spreader (see Patent Document 4) has been proposed in which a brush is attached to the rear of a conventional spreader for top sand, etc., so that the work of rubbing the top sand with the brush can be done after spreading the top sand. The machine only brushes the material once after spraying it on the lawn that is pressed down by the front and rear wheels or on the dense, natural lawn, so it can spread the material deeply between the grass grains of the lawn. This meant that I had to brush multiple times after spraying was completed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-152106 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-37605 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-238505 Special Publication No. 46-27685

The present invention was devised to solve the problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to improve the turf spacing of the lawn, even when the lawn is pressed down with wheels or is densely packed in its natural state. To provide a highly efficient spreader capable of deeply putting in spread materials such as top dressing and fertilizer at one time.

As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the inventor of the present invention has discovered that a lawn mower is placed on the lawn behind the rear wheels of the self-propelled trolley and in front of the spraying area where the scattering material such as top dressing is sprayed onto the lawn. By installing a groomer mechanism that can make the grass stand out, it sprays immediately after forcing the grass to stand up on grass that has been pressed down by the front or rear wheels, or on dense grass in its natural state. It was discovered that the spraying material could be placed deeply between the grains of the lawn, leading to the completion of the present invention.

That is, the present invention has the following configurations (1) to (4).
(1) A cart with movable front and rear wheels, a hopper installed above the rear of the cart and containing materials to be spread such as top dressing and fertilizer, and the material supplied from the hopper through the outlet at the bottom of the hopper. This is a spreader that is equipped with a conveyor that sends the material to the rear, and a spreading mechanism that spreads the material behind the conveyor. , and is equipped with a groomer mechanism behind the rear wheels attached to the trolley, which can make the grass look like grass.
(2) The groomer mechanism is configured such that the groomer material, which stands upright approximately perpendicular to the direction of travel of the trolley and is arranged in the width direction of the trolley, enters the lawn to make the grass grainy. The spreader according to (1), characterized in that:
(3) The length in the width direction of the groomer material cart is set to 1.0 to 1.1 times the width of the area where the material to be spread by the spreader is spread on the lawn. (2) Spreader described in .
(4) The groomer material according to (2) or (3) is characterized in that it is configured to be in contact with the lawn surface when the conveyor is driven and released from contact with the lawn surface when the conveyor is stopped. Spreader.

When the spreader of the present invention spreads materials such as top dressing and fertilizer onto the lawn, it spreads the materials immediately after the lawn is forcibly made to stand up by the groomer mechanism. Even if the lawn is pressed down by the wheels of a traveling trolley or the lawn is naturally dense, it is possible to put the spraying material deep into the grain of the lawn in one go. This eliminates the need for the secondary work of rubbing top dressing into the lawn, and greatly reduces the burden on the workers.

In addition, in the spreader of the present invention, the action of pressing the groomer material against the lawn surface of the groomer mechanism is linked to the drive of the conveyor, so that the groomer material is not used during forwarding, so there is no need to manually apply the groomer material. It is possible to eliminate the need for actuation and release work. This also reduces the burden on the workers.

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of a conventional spreader. FIG. 2 is an overall side view of the conventional spreader shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the side surface of the rear wheel of the sprayer shown in FIG. 1 when the sprayer in FIG. 1 is self-propelled and spraying on a lawn. FIG. 4 schematically shows the situation in which the spreading material is spread onto a lawn held down by wheels. FIG. 5 schematically shows the application of the spreading material on a naturally dense lawn. FIG. 6 is an overall side view of the spreader of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the side surface of the rear wheel portion of the sprayer of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 when it is self-propelled and spraying on the lawn. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the sprayer of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 in a state of spraying. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of main parts of the spreader of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 in a state where spreading is stopped. FIG. 10 schematically shows the use of the spreader of the present invention to introduce spread material into the turf of a lawn. FIG. 11 is an overall side view of a spreader according to another embodiment of the present invention that performs spreading using a rotor. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the essential parts of the spreader of the present invention in a state in which the groomer material of the groomer mechanism is lowered and used. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the essential parts of the spreader of the present invention in a state where the groomer material of the groomer mechanism is raised and not in use. FIG. 14 is an example of the groomer material of the groomer mechanism used in the spreader of the present invention. FIG. 15 is an example of the groomer material of the groomer mechanism used in the spreader of the present invention. FIG. 16 is an example of the groomer material of the groomer mechanism used in the spreader of the present invention. FIG. 17 is an example of the groomer material of the groomer mechanism used in the spreader of the present invention.

Although embodiments of the spreader of the present invention will be described based on the drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto. The spreader of the present invention is characterized by having a groomer mechanism in a specific position that can make the grass grain stand out, and the spreader itself on which the present invention is based does not impair the purpose of the present invention. As far as possible, conventionally known spreaders can be used. The spreader on which the present invention is based is, for example, a type that has a spreading mechanism that spreads the material to be spread with a roll-shaped brush 7 as shown in FIGS. It is possible to use a type having a dispersion mechanism for dispersing by horizontal rotation of the rotor 13.

The spreader of the present invention has a groomer mechanism that can make the grass grains of the lawn stand out, and is mounted on the trolley in front of the spraying area where the material sprayed from the spreading mechanism of the spreader is sprayed onto the lawn surface. It is distinctive in that it is located behind the rear wheels. The features of the spreader of the present invention will be explained below using FIGS. 6 to 17.

Fig. 6 is an overall side view of the spreader of the present invention, Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the rear wheel side of the spreader of the present invention during self-propelled spreading, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the side surface of the rear wheel of the spreader of the present invention during spraying. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the sprayer of the present invention when the spraying is stopped; Fig. 10 shows the spraying material placed in the turf of the lawn; Fig. 11 shows the rotor as the spraying device. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the essential parts of the spreader of the present invention in a state in which the groomer material of the groomer mechanism is lowered and in operation, and FIG. FIGS. 14 to 17, which are perspective views of main parts of the spreader of the present invention in which the groomer material is raised and in a non-operating state, are examples of the groomer material of the groomer mechanism.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a traveling trolley that is self-propelled by an engine 2, has front wheels 1a and rear wheels 1b, and is driven by a speed reducer 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes a hopper into which materials to be spread such as top dressing and fertilizer are placed, and is provided above the rear wheel 1b of the traveling trolley 1. The lower part of this hopper 4 is open, and a conveyor 5 is disposed below the open part. In this conveyor 5, a belt 5c is driven backward by conveyor rollers 5a and 5b located in front and behind the hopper 4, respectively. Reference numeral 6 denotes a shutter provided in the hopper 4, which adjusts the amount of the spread material sent out. 6a is an adjustment handle of the shutter 6, and the amount of feed is adjusted. Reference numeral 7 denotes a roll-shaped rotating brush serving as a scattering mechanism for dispersing the material to be spread from the conveyor 5. As shown in FIG. , the dispersion area 10a is formed to extend rearward.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a conveyor actuating lever, and its operation drives the conveyor belt 5c and the roll-shaped brush 7, and the spread material 10 is sent out to the rear of the cart by the conveyor belt 5c. It is sprayed onto the lawn by a spraying mechanism. Reference numeral 11 denotes a groomer mechanism that can raise the grain of the lawn, and the groomer mechanism 11 has a groomer material 11a that stands upright approximately perpendicular to the traveling direction of the trolley and is arranged in the width direction of the trolley, which is placed in the lawn. The structure is such that the grass can be raised by entering the grass. 11b and 11c are lifting arms that move the groomer material 11a so as to press it against the lawn. A lifting wire 12 is connected to the lifting arm 11b, and by pulling the lifting arm 11b, the groomer material 11a is raised and lowered.

8 and 9, when spreading with the spreader of the present invention, the conveyor 5 is operated by tilting forward the conveyor operating lever 8, which operates the conveyor 5, similarly to the conventional spreader. At this time, the lifting wire 12 connected to the lower part of the conveyor operating lever 8 operates by tilting the conveyor operating lever 8 forward, and the lifting wire 12a on the lever side is connected to the intermediate lifting wire. , and the lifting wire 12b on the rear wheel side is pushed out. Since the lifting wire 12b on the rear wheel side is connected to the lifting arm 11b, the groomer material 11a is connected to the arc of the lifting arm 11b and the lifting arm 11c, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 12. It moves on a trajectory, is pressed against the grass surface, and lands on the grass surface. Furthermore, when the conveyor is stopped, the conveyor operating lever 8 is moved in the direction of pulling up. At this time, the lifting wire 12a on the lever side pulls the intermediate lifting wire, and the lifting wire 12b on the rear wheel side pulls the lifting wire 12a on the lever side. moves to pull the lifting arm 11b, and the groomer material 11a is separated from the grass surface by the lifting arms 11b, 11c and released from contact with the grass surface, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 13.

In the conventional spreader, the spraying area 10a is in a state where most of the material 10 is placed above the grass grains of the lawn as shown in FIG. However, with the spreader of the present invention, even if the lawn is pressed down by the front wheels 1a, rear wheels 1b, etc. when the trolley is running, or when passing through dense grass in a natural state, the spreader can After passing the rear wheel 1b, the groomer material 11a of the groomer mechanism 11 is pressed against the lawn surface to make the lawn 9a stand up in a state as shown in 9b in FIG. 10, and then the spreading material 10 is spread on the lawn surface. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the spray material 10 can be placed deep into the grass grains of the lawn. Therefore, after the spraying material is spread onto the lawn using the spreader of the present invention, there is no need to separately raise the grains of the lawn and rub the material between the grains of the lawn.

Note that the length in the width direction of the groomer material cart of the groomer mechanism is preferably set to 1.0 to 1.1 times the expected width of the area where the material to be spread by the spreader is sprayed on the lawn. . In addition, the depth at which the groomer material is pressed against the lawn varies depending on whether it is used on a golf course green or a growing lawn, but it is generally set within a range of 1 to 10 mm from the grass surface after the rear wheels run. It is preferable to do so. Further, the groomer material is not particularly limited as long as it can make the lawn stand upright, but the material includes a plate-shaped brush shown in FIG. 14, a thick mat folded back into a plate shape shown in FIG. 15, and an elastic material shown in FIG. A comb-shaped material, a cylindrical body shown in FIG. 17 with a large number of protrusions around the periphery, etc. can be used.

Since the spreader of the present invention sprays the material to be spread while forcibly raising the grass grains of the lawn, there is no need to separately raise the grass grains or rub the material to be spread after spraying. Therefore, the efficiency of spraying work is extremely high, and it is useful in this industry.

1 Dolly 1a Front wheel 1b Rear wheel 2 Engine 3 Reducer 4 Hopper 5 Conveyor 5a Followed roller 5b Drive roller 5c Conveyor belt 6 Shutter 6a Shutter adjustment handle 7 Rolled brush 8 Conveyor operating lever 9 Dense lawn in natural state 9a Press down Raised lawn 9b Raised lawn 10 Spreading material 10a Spreading area 11 Groomer mechanism 11a Groomer material 11b Lifting arm 11c Lifting arm 12 Lifting wire 12a Lifting wire 12b Lifting wire 13 Rotor

Claims (4)

A cart with front and rear wheels that can run, a hopper installed above the rear of the cart and containing materials to be spread such as top dressing and fertilizer, and a material to be spread from the hopper supplied through an outlet at the bottom of the hopper. A spreading machine that is equipped with a conveyor that sends the material to the rear, and a spreading mechanism that spreads the material to be spread behind the conveyor, and that is located in front of the spreading area where the material that is spread from the spreading mechanism is spread on the lawn surface, and that is located on a trolley. This spreading machine is characterized by being equipped with a groomer mechanism behind the rear wheels attached to the lawn mower, which is capable of making the grass look more grainy. The groomer mechanism is configured such that the groomer material, which stands upright approximately perpendicular to the direction of travel of the trolley and is arranged in the width direction of the trolley, enters the lawn to make the grass grainy. The spreader according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The length of the groomer material cart in the width direction is set to 1.0 to 1.1 times the width of the area where the material to be spread by the spreader is spread on the lawn. Spreader. 4. The groomer material according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the groomer material is configured to be in contact with the lawn surface when the conveyor is driven, and to be separated from the lawn surface and released from contact with the lawn surface when the conveyor is stopped. Spreader.

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